Little Screen: a whole new big screen experience for you and your kids

Want to take your toddler to see a film for the first time, but worried they’re not ready? Our child-friendly screenings of kids’ TV shows will keep them entertained – and the experience can have a positive impact on their learning and social skills too, says child psychologist Liz Fraser.

Taking your little one to see something on the big screen just got even easier thanks to Little Screen, a new interactive experience that’s made specially for families and children between the ages of 3 - 6.

Once a month, Vues around the country will be showing classic TV shows – and experts argue that sharing the experience of watching the adventures of Thomas and Friends and more with other children can prove invaluable for their cognitive development.

They’re sitting there in this magical environment, and they can concentrate so well on it rather than being distracted, which happens a lot at home.

This might not come as a surprise to a lot of parents, child psychologist Liz Fraser told London Live earlier this week. “We all know that if you plonk a child in front of a television and walk out of the room, chances are they’re going to stop watching within 30 seconds. They’ve probably got other devices in the room, they might start playing with toys,” says Fraser. The difference is that with Little Screen, “they’re sitting in this magical environment,” where they’re surrounded by other children and there’s a big screen at the front, making it less likely that they’ll get distracted.

It’s not just the special environment that’s conducive to them staying focused. The 70 minute sessions are split into five episodes, with breaks in between to allow for the inevitable loo break – so kids aren’t expected to sit and watch for the entire duration of the showings. There’s also a real life presenter in the room, Marty, who engages with the kids and asks them questions about what they’re watching. “If [kids] had someone like Marty in [their] front room with them every day, they would learn so much more from the TV that they watch,” says Fraser.

Fraser encourages parents to ask their kids about what they’ve watched after the screening, too. “You’re there together and you can talk about it for the rest of the weekend,” she says. “It’s so important for children’s early education.”